


Breaking the Status Quo

by ShippingSwanQueen



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, First Impressions, Forks High School (Twilight), Love at First Sight, Mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-01 13:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17868590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShippingSwanQueen/pseuds/ShippingSwanQueen
Summary: Bella is used to flying under the radar in a high school of almost 3,000 people. After moving to Forks, she realizes she can no longer escape the curious stares of her new classmates. To make matters worse she made an incredibly loud and public declaration of admiration to the biggest bitch at Forks High. She will never forget that day and neither will Rosalie Hale.





	1. First Impression

-Bella-

It’s been three months. Three months since I moved to Forks and caused a scene in the high school cafeteria on my very first day at the new school. I had never considered myself an expert at maneuvering through social encounters but I had always managed to maintain the status quo wherever I went. I suppose it’s easy to passively float through high school when there are thousands of students. Arriving as the new kid, halfway through the school year, in a school of less than 400 students the odds of me flying under the radar were slim to none. I honestly had every intention of conforming to the standard of a model student. However, the moment the Cullen family walked through the door of the cafeteria, everything changed.

News of my arrival had clearly been discussed with the student populace because I had a rotation of self-appointed “buddies” waiting to guide me around campus. With their assistance I had succeeded in making it to all three of my morning classes without getting lost. And to top it off, none of my teachers made me awkwardly stand up and introduce myself.

Erik was waiting for me outside of the office door and immediately approached me holding out his outstretched hand as a greeting. He spoke so quickly that I struggled to comprehend all of the information he was rattling off. “You’re front page news baby,” that got my attention quickly. “No, no, no. I’m not news.” I pleaded with wide eyes and a panicked realization that he was 100% serious about writing an article about me. He conceded immediately and continued to walk me to Trigonometry. Crisis averted.

Next came, Mike. Mike met me outside of Trig and together we made our way to Government class. He told me about the handful of decent restaurants and cool hang out spots around town. He was outgoing, cocky, flirtatious and in no way my type. When I kindly yet thoroughly rejected his offer to take me on a date he seemed genuinely shocked.

My favorite hallway chauffeur was Angela. She was by far the easiest to talk to and reminded me of my friend group back in Phoenix. Together we weaved through the labyrinth of halls and arrived at our shared German class. The seat beside her was available and I felt grateful to have a person in class that I could turn to as a conversation partner.

Thankfully, Angela assumed I would be joining her and her friends at their table for lunch. She introduced me to Jessica, Lauren, and Tyler who were already sitting and chatting among one another. I brought my lunch because one of the first things you learn in High School 101 is that school cafeterias have a lenient definition on what they consider “food.” My gamble paid off and I happily stared at my turkey and cheese sandwich after witnessing Mike and Erik plop down their trays of meat nuggets and something resembling stew.

I had just begun eating when the dull roar of cafeteria chatter came to a standstill. Intrigued with the sudden halt in conversation, I turned my body towards the direction everyone else seemed to be looking.

Gliding through the door in 3 inch heels was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. Everything around her seemed to fall out of focus while she overtook my vision with perfect clarity. Her eyes found mine and locked for what felt like a lifetime and a fleeting moment all at once. She had honey colored eyes that studied me intensely almost predatory. I couldn’t move nor did I want to. I’d gladly stay rooted on this very spot if it meant I got to behold this goddess of a human.

I tried to steady myself by taking a deep breath but it came out as an audible gasp. My eyes roamed over her figure as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest. Her blonde hair fell in waves over the shoulders of her form fitting grey jacket. Dark navy jeans encased legs that went on for days. I almost scoffed while regarding her footwear more so out of disbelief that anyone could walk in those shoes without resembling a drunken baby giraffe.

Who was this captivating woman?


	2. The lunchroom rant

Jessica took note of my silence and the direction of my gaze and said, “Oh that’s the Cullen family. They are Dr. and Mrs. Cullen’s foster kids. Jasper, Rosalie, and Edward are juniors like us. Emmett and Alice are seniors.”

Lauren elaborated in a snide tone, “Alice and Jasper are a couple if that is even legal. Jasper is the one with blonde hair who looks like he’s in pain. He is covered in scars so he probably has some deep seated teenage angst of a sob story. His girlfriend, Alice, is like super weird. She is the tiny one who bounces around like she just drank nine cups of coffee. Oh look, there she goes dancing across the room now.”

Jessica nodded and added, “Mr. Sex Hair aka Edward is too good to talk to anyone. If you aren’t one of the Cullens you might as well be invisible.”

Lauren nudged Jessica on the arm and added, “The big guy is Emmett; he would probably get a college scholarship playing football if his head wasn’t full of rocks. Oh and the tall blonde, that’s Rosalie. She’s Jasper’s twin sister and the biggest bitch in school.”

Once again, I sat there openly staring at the gorgeous woman walking across the room. I blinked as the name Rosalie reverberated in my mind. Feelings that I didn’t understand bombarded me all at once. I felt fiercely loyal, protective, passionate, and insanely attracted to the woman now sitting across the room from me. How is it possible to feel this strongly about a person I’ve never spoken to. I realized I was staring and blinked again trying to regain my composure. Each person at the Cullen table was now staring at me with various degrees of amusement (Alice and Emmett), curiosity (Edward and Jasper), and hostility (Rosalie) on their faces.

I seethed inside at the notion that anyone would dare speak of Rosalie in such a way. My fist clenched as if I was ready to physically defend the girl, I wanted to fight. I wanted to stand up to these girls and knock them down a peg. Defending Rosalie and her family is what I needed to do.

In an uncharacteristic moment of impulse, I turned towards Jessica and began talking rather loudly and animatedly, “Has anyone even tried to talk to them or are you just jumping to whatever conclusion makes the juiciest gossip? For high school students who claim to want to break stereotypes and not be pigeonholed into a box, this is the most ridiculous conversation I’ve ever had."

"So Alice dances everywhere and spaces out. I mean from what I’ve seen she dances really well. I bet she’d be brilliant in any ballet performance. Jasper has scars on his body. That’s a pretty fucking personal thing to be making assumptions over! Maybe he has an affinity for wrestling mountain lions. Sure he has scars on his arms, but you should see the lion.” My arms began flailing around in bigger and more dramatic movements as her voice increased in volume.

I continued, “Edward is too good for anyone?! Did he reject you and now you’re bitter? Emmett is a jock that doesn’t play sports. Is it a rule that muscular men have to play sports? He’s carrying books on Cellular and Molecular Biology, Marine Biology, and Greek Mythology. None of which are even courses taught in this school. If there were a trivia contest or Jeopardy like competition, I’m choosing him. Hands down.”

“And Rosalie, wow. Maybe you’d be bitchy too if you had to be constantly on the defensive. She seems loyal and protective of her family and rightfully so. Within three seconds of seeing her family I’ve already been told how to perceive them without them having any say in the matter. Just because then entire student populace wants to be her or sleep with her is not a reason to make hateful remarks about her.”

I felt out of breath. Never before have I caused that big of a scene before. Knowing that every eye in the cafeteria was on me, I took a shallow breath and braced myself as looked up to search for the one pair I needed to see.

The eyes that previously locked on mine in a golden glare were now dark brown and staring at me with such intensity that I felt like she was going to combust. The emotions that flew across Rosalie’s face quickly changed from shock to lust to something soft and almost caring before shifting to confusion and finally settling on anger.

Rosalie stood and left the cafeteria without speaking to her family or anyone else. I gazed out the door as a feeling of rejection washed over me and I willed myself not to cry. I couldn’t very well stay at my current table after the scene I just caused. Neither could I walk out the door into the parking lot for fear of angering the blonde even further.

Unsure what compelled me to do so, but I found myself walking towards the Cullen’s lunch table and pausing in front of Alice who was beaming. “Hi,” I said “I am so incredibly sorry for making a scene and making your sister mad. I just, oh I’m Bella by the way. I’m new here and people were gossiping and I just overreacted.” I began to get flustered and tried to redo my apology. “I just wanted to apologize. I really didn’t mean to make Rosalie upset.”

Alice grinned even larger when I mentioned Rosalie’s name. “Don’t worry about Rose,” she said “It’s not every day that a Princess Charming comes to defend her honor. I think your arrival was a bit of an unexpected shock to some of us.”


	3. Trivia Puns

Rosalie didn’t show up at school for the next three days. 

The confusion I felt over the instantaneous magnetism I felt towards a woman who was clearly repelled by my very existence was fueling my growing heart ache. On the second day of sitting at lunch alone, my mood had shifted from confusion to melancholy. 

I had royally screwed up my chances at acclimating into my new school. Directing an impassioned rant at the only students who made an effort conversing with my on the first day of school was definitely one way to ostracize yourself. Not that I regret my defense of Rosalie, I mean the Cullens. 

On the third day of Rosalie’s absence, I stood by the doorway and debated spending lunch in the library. “Hello Bella,” Alice Cullen beamed, “I’d be overjoyed if you sat with me today. We haven’t had a chance to engage in an actual conversation and I just know we’ll be great friends.” To say that I was baffled by Alice’s invitation to sit with her and her family would be an understatement.

I accompanied Alice in the direction of her table and took a seat where Rosalie had sat just a few short days ago. 

Emmett took pity on my uncomfortable fidgeting and broke the silent tension. “Yo Bells, check this out,” he quipped and slid a piece of paper across the table in my direction. I squinted down to read the bold text, “O’Sullivan’s Bar and Grill Trivia Night Thursday 7pm.” 

I smiled. “I figured I’d give you heads up so you could call dibs on adding my hulking masculine genius to your team,” he chuckled.   
“Oh absolutely, oh wise one.” I deadpanned, “As long as we don’t have to use the team name hulking masculine genius.” 

Edward promised, “Emmett has a pre made list of potential names. You ready? The Quizzard of Oz, You’re a Quizard, Harry, Periodic Table Dancers, and his personal favorite Oedipus and the Motherfuckers.” 

“Literary genius with a smidge of science nerd, I can’t help it.” Emmett shrugged nonchalantly. I couldn’t help but smiling at this easy going, goofy, teddy bear of a man child. Maybe Alice was right, I could unquestionably see myself bantering with this group of captivating people. 

But what would happen when their sister returned.


	4. Parking lot

Bella was slow and meticulous is her interactions with Rosalie over the next few months. It took her four entire days to summon the courage to look the woman in the eye. Bella progressed with nonverbal communication by smiling at Rosalie on day six and passing her a car magazine on day ten. 

Two more weeks of shy smiles and tentative looks went by before Bella said her first words to Rosalie. It was movie night at the Cullen house and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was being projected onto the giant screen of the downstairs media room.

-Bella-  
I love this movie, I wondered how the Cullens looked wearing the 80's fashion. I imagine Rosalie would look stunning in neon with her perfect blonde hair swept into a side pony tail. As the movie progressed the main characters stood posing in front of various paintings in an art museum. I recalled my favorite painting and how the sunrise cast a glow across everything. 

“Bella,” I heard someone trying to gain my attention. “Bella,” the voice said once again. I continued to ponder how the lighting in the sky shown with a variety of colored hues depending on the time of day. Moreover, I wondered how the sunset blues and purples would look against Rosalie’s skin or how her eyes would shine at dawn’s first light.

“Bella,” resounded again and I slowly made my way out of my day dream haze. As my vision cleared, I noticed that a bucket of popcorn was now being held in front of my by one Rosalie Hale. “What’s your favorite time of day?” I blurted out before noticing and taking the proffered movie snack. 

“Pardon me?” Rosalie questioned bemusedly, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised. She was speaking to me. Rosalie was speaking to me. “Huh...” I eloquently said. What just happened?

And here we are today. It’s been three months sense I made my fabulous first impression in the Forks High School cafeteria. Since then my entire world has been turned upside down. I am pretty sure that I had fallen in love at first sight with the enchanting Rosalie Hale. I was now close friend with a family of vampires, because of course they were vampires. And not just ordinary vampires, vampires who could see the future, read minds, and control emotions. Nothing made sense and yet everything made sense.

Of course now would be the perfect opportunity to have another impassioned speech. Instead of the middle of the cafeteria, today’s scene was Forks High School parking lot. I studied the diminishing number of cars as the student populace was making their mass exodus home for the weekend. 

I decided today would be the day that I made some sort of move to interact with Rosalie on a more personal, one on one level. I strode with all the confidence I could muster in the direction of Rosalie's cherry red Corvette. 

"Hi." Weak start, Bella, weak start. "A new book store opened in Port Angeles and I was wondering if you'd like to go check it out with me this weekend?" Bella hurriedly asked before all her courage diminished. 

"You want me to accompany you to look at books?" Rosalie rephrased my question and it seemed less than I intended.

"Well yes. I am interested in seeing the bookstore but I'd really like to spend more time with you. And we don't have to just see the bookstore. Maybe you could show me one of your favorite stores."

"Why do you want to go with me? Rosalie questioned. "I think you know why." I answered her.

Rosalie stared at me unbelieving. "What do you think of me?" she asked bluntly. 

How in the world was I going to answer that question. My default reaction was to deflect. “Did you ask your brothers?” I asked.

A brief falter in her stoic confidence told me everything I needed to know. If there was ever a time when Rosalie appeared sheepish, this was it. “It’s alright if you did” I reassured her, “I don’t blame you for being curious. “

“This isn’t exactly a large town and I immediately went on the defensive when I heard that I would literally be front page news in the school’s newspaper.” Rosalie tilted her head slightly to the right and grinned. She remembered the other topic that had gotten Bella to go on a rather heated and positively awe inspiring rant. Bella’s passionate defense of her family but more specifically Rosalie had been at the forefront of her memory for the past few weeks. Edward had made the mistake of commenting on her thought reel during family movie night last Friday. 

"Edward's gift doesn't work on you like it works on others." Rosalie reassured her. "So you did ask?" I wagered a guess. 

I wasn’t going to let her backtrack and erase the progress they had made thus far. I paused and took the smallest step toward Rosalie. Still aware of being in a somewhat crowded parking lot, I lowered my voice. 

“What are the normal reactions people have when they see you? I bet they stop breathing, heartbeat racing, torn between being terrified to look at you and unable to tear their gaze away. Some are envious of how graceful, elegant and stunning you are. They no doubt see you as competition for the limited number of suitors this town provides. Or maybe they feel defeated because your beauty sets an unattainable standard that many teenagers aspire to achieve. Others must lust after your body that is admittedly pure sex on a stick.” I winked in an attempt to charm and deflect from my growing nervousness.

“Rose, you walked through the door and all the noise around me faded. I knew Jessica was still talking to me but it all garbled in the background. I saw you, only you. Do you really want to know what I thought the first time I saw you?” I rhetorically asked, “I thought, ‘she’s mine.’ And as the thought registered in my brain, I struggled to comprehend why and how my first thought had been to possessively claim a stranger. I didn’t want to own you, Rosalie. I still don’t want to own you. You are not property, you are not a thing to stake claim to. At the same time, every fiber in my being wanted you to be mine. I wanted to walk up to you and push the loose strand of hair out of your eyes. I wanted you to smile at me in that secret way that you don’t smile at others. I wanted to be the cause of your laughter and the person you come to when you were sad. I fiercely wanted to protect you from anything that could cause you harm.”

I shifted my body weight and began fidgeting with my bracelet before pausing to look at Rosalie once more.

“I wanted to talk to you and learn about your interests and your passions. I wondered if you liked art because you captivated me more than any painting I had ever seen. That’s what I was thinking about during family movie night. There’s a Thomas Kinkaid painting of a rainy cobblestone street at sunrise. For some reason seeing it reminds me of you. I wondered what the early morning glow would look like across your skin.”

“You looked at me like I was an idiot when I blurted out, “what’s your favorite time of day?” I had never been so mortified in my life.” I ran a hand across the back of my neck, a slight grimace playing across my features at the memory of the embarrassing first encounter with Rosalie. “Out of all the charming things to say…,” I muttered and Rosalie bit her lip to contain the grin. 

I sighed and went on, “I’ve been around you and your family for months now. You know I adore all the time I get to spend with them. But time with you, Rosalie, means so much more. Everything feels amplified and electric when you’re around. I don’t even need to lay my eyes on you to know you’re present. I can feel it.”

“Rosalie, you don’t hide in your room or stay on the periphery anymore. You feel the pull towards me just as I am drawn to your orbit. I feel alive anytime you make a quip or snide remark but nothing compares to the sensations that overwhelm me when we touch. You have no idea how many times I debated ramping up my innate clumsiness in hopes that you’d catch me if I fall. I know it’s stupid and I don’t want to make an excuse for touching you. I want to be able to hug you when I see you and lean into you when we are sitting next to each other during family movie nights. I desperately want to hold your hand and let you lead me anywhere.”

“I want to tear down your destructive coping mechanisms. I want to earn your trust and your friendship. I want you to make excuses for me when Alice wants to take me on shopping adventures. I want you to teach me how play Mario Kart so I don’t make a fool of myself crashing into walls and driving in circles. I know you’re going to run away when you’re scared and I need you to know that I will be here waiting for you. When I tell you that I’ve been yours since the moment I saw you, I want you to believe me. I’m falling in love with you, Rosalie Hale. And just in case you had any doubts, I too have hormonally crazed thoughts about you and often fantasize how you’d look with your legs wrapped around my shoulders while screaming my name.”

I stepped forward again, effectively trapping Rosalie between my body and the driver’s side door. Rosalie’s eyes widened as I placed a hand on her hip and leaned closer. 

At the last second, I tilted my head and whispered into Rosalie’s ear “Rose, you wanted to know what I think about you. Baby, I think you’re everything.” With that I leaned down and kissed Rosalie on the cheek, squeezed her hip and walked towards my car.

Across the parking lot came the booming sound of Emmett yelling, “DAMN BELLA, THAT WAS HOT!!!”


	5. Alice's vision

That evening in the Cullen household, Jasper and Emmett were engaged in a Mario Kart battle downstairs. Edward sat by the large bay window playing an original piece on the grand piano. Alice was doing cartwheels across the beams spanning the length of the large ceiling. She paused as the sensations preceding a vision washed over her.

-Alice-

*Begin vision*

Bella was standing beside her locker discussing a German translation assignment with Angela. Bella twisted and turned the dial of her locker and swung the metal door open. Onto the floor fell a red rose and an envelope with the message ‘Happy Birthday’ written on the front. Bella opened the card and read the short message aloud, “Happy Birthday Bella, I hope your day is as beautiful as you are.” Bella beamed as Angela squealed, “Who is it from? Who is it from?” 

Jasper met up with me in between first and second period. “Have you seen Bella?” he asked. “Her emotions are exhilarating this morning. She is radiating elation, hope, love, and excitement. I wonder what’s going on.” 

Lunchtime

Angela continued to ponder out loud guesses as to who could have put the note and flower into Bella’s locker. Suddenly, Mike clambered down into the seat beside Bella and said, “So Bella, did you like the flower? I was thinking maybe I could take you to dinner at that new Italian place downtown.” A look of confusion and sadness washed over Bella’s face. “You put the flower and note in my locker?” she asked, directing her question to Mike. “I thought maybe….” her words drifted off as she glanced towards Rosalie and then back down at her lap. “Thank you, Mike. It’s a really beautiful flower and I was very surprised.”

Jasper then winced and he sat back against the cafeteria wall. He turned to me and said, “She’s devastated.” *End vision* 

I was already on my way across the house toward Rosalie’s room. Bella’s birthday is one week away. Rosalie needs to fix this and she needs to fix it right now. 

“Rosalie Lillian Hale,” I shrieked as I marched right up into Rosalie’s personal space. “You are an idiot! You found her, you finally found her and you’re ruining everything. I know you know what she is, what she means to you, what you mean to her.”

“Alice.” Rosalie pleaded. Well that took me by surprise. I’d anticipated Rosalie to meet my outburst with fire and fury, this subdued and melancholy version of my sister was a stranger to me. “Rose,” I uttered, softer this time, “talk to me.” She met my gaze and if it were feasible for a vampire to suffer from sleep deprivation that would be the perfect description of how Rosalie appeared in that moment.

“She’s my mate, Alice. She’s my human mate. My clumsy, fragile, breakable mate.” Rosalie’s fears were becoming clear, she was afraid she’d hurt Bella. “You know my history, Alice. Ever since Royce and the night Carlisle turned me, the thought of being physically intimate with another hadn’t crossed my mind.”

“I’m aware of the lustful effect I have on humans and vampires alike. People desire me for my body and nothing more.” Rosalie said.  
“Bella, wants more.” I interjected. Rosalie looked annoyed. “I apologize, I know you dislike when I use my powers during conversations. It’s just that in the grandest of high school gestures the woman gave not one but two sweeping declarations of her feelings for you. Even you have to realize those actions indicate so much more than lust.”

“Yes, the dramatic flair was surprising yet not at all unwelcome.” Rosalie agreed. “She has no inclination to merely use me for sex and I know she’d never intentionally hurt me. She is so pure and innocent. She’s passionate and emboldened. She has a desire for me to bestow affection by holding her hand among other things.” Rosalie confessed. If Rosalie had the capacity to blush she would as she recalled Bella’s previous words acknowledging the physical desire she harbored.

It was then I noticed the smattering of broken glass and porcelain littering the floor. “Rose, what in the hell happened here?”

Rose paced the clear space of floor. “I’ve collected every piece of fragile china in this house.” Rosalie admitted as she picked up a tea cup and held it in her hand. “I then put the cup on the stool and pick it up while imagining it is Bella’s hand.” I watched as Rosalie approached the cup and crushed it into minuscule shards of glass. “And smash. Every time I begin picturing Bella I become nervous and I lose control over my strength.” Rosalie sighed.

“What if in my grand attempt to woo Bella and show her that I am not immune to her presence and I feel exactly how she does that I accidentally break her hand?!” Rosalie yelled hysterically.

“Rose. I’m your sister, I love you and I believe in you that it why I am positive you will never do anything that would physically harm Bella. Well that and I can also see the future and I know that you’re not going to break her.” I assured Rosalie. 

“But for the sake of your sanity and Esme’s fine china collection I will support you on your mission to breaketh not thy Bella.” I declare as I flourish my arm in the arm.

Rosalie rolled her eyes but nodded. I clapped and bounced as I gleeful announced, “Ohhh, I’m going to have another sister.”


	6. Phone call

-Rosalie-

When you think of vampires I bet you don’t envision them standing in a room regulating their grip strength to a level that will not crush the love of their life’s brittle bones. Alas, that is how I have been spending the last four hours. I’m not a whirling dervish of a klutz, I do possess the ability to grasp and maneuver breakable items seamlessly. However, that skill seems to elude me when combined with the nervous tension that overtakes me when my thoughts drift to Bella Swan. 

Being known as the ice queen has served me well in terms of keeping pestering humans from bothering me. An unfortunate side effect of those walls being that I now have zero experience socializing in a platonic let alone a romantic nature. My experience mingling in upper class society of the 1920s lacks parallel between interacting with peers in the 21st century.

The bulk of all social interaction occurs on social media platforms and across test messaging. I have no experience interacting in this capacity. How does one initiate a text message exchange? Would it be better if I called her?   
She didn’t leave me much opportunity to respond to her invitation to the bookstore this weekend. Do I need to check to see if she still has the desire to go or can I call and simply say yes?

What if I misinterpret her tone over text message and I say the wrong thing? Maybe I should run to her house and then call her while I am within hearing distance? That way I’d be able to hear the nuances in her voice and save myself from completing making a fool of myself.

I was out the door and running towards Bella’s house before I could change my mind. Sitting on a branch, high in a tree outside of her house I stared blankly at the cellphone in my hand. Bella seemed to be working on some sort of assignment as I could hear the scratching of a pencil on paper. I couldn’t pick up on any indication that Charlie was anywhere in the house. Hopefully she wouldn’t mind me interrupting her work.

I took an unnecessary deep breath and proceeded to hit the call button. 

“Um, Hello?” Bella’s voice came out of the phone’s speaker. 

“Hi. I was wondering if you’d be available tomorrow afternoon to venture to the bookstore.” I spoke quickly before my nerves got the better of me. “Rosalie?” Bella questioned and from my perch I could hear the hitch in her breath and a skip of her heartbeat.

“Oh yes. Please, forgive my etiquette I am unaccustomed to speaking over the phone. This is quite new to me. You left before I could answer you yesterday and I didn’t want to assume…” I trialed off and Bella chuckled. “Assume what? Did you honestly think that I would renege on asking you on a date? Rosalie, I’m not sure if my words gave room for misinterpretation but I want nothing more than to spend time with you. I don’t even care what we do; I just want time with you. Are you ok with that?”

I leapt from the tree and landed gracefully on the ground. In a woosh I was standing in front of Bella’s door knocking on the wooden frame. “Is now a good time for you?” I asked as I heard Bella scurry down the stairs. “Wait, are you here? Rosalie? Are you?” Bella opened the door, her body reverberated excited energy. All my self-doubt slipped away when I saw her face, I may not have been as suave in my interaction as I had hoped but Bella’s genuine excitement at my presence was priceless.

“Hey, you.” I grinned at her. “I’d like to try something, but I need you to stay still.” Bella’s eyes widened as I took a tentative step towards her. My right arm grazed against her hip and finally landed on the small of her back. I took a step forward while trailing my hand further up her back. My left hand joined and soon I had Bella enveloped in an embrace firm enough to convey passion yet careful enough to keep her safe and unscathed. “Wow. You smell amazing.” 

“Rosalie. Am I allowed to move now?” “Mmmhmmm.” I responded. “Oh, thank god.” She exhaled as she lifted her arms to wrap around my neck. Her body pressed into me and I adjusted my hold on her.

I made a mental note to myself to thank Alice for pushing me towards making this step towards my happy ending.


	7. Birthday

-Bella-

The morning of my birthday, I awoke to find my favorite breakfast pastries sitting on a tray table at the foot of my bed with a variety of post it notes surrounding the plate. 

Rosalie’s perfect handwriting was scrawled across each note and I laughed out loud as I read the various notes. “I like the CREPE out of you.” “You drive me GLAZY.” “I cannot wait for our paths to CROSSAINT again.” “I CANNOLI hope for more shared memories with you.” “I KNEAD you, I want you.” And last but not least, “Nice BUNS.”

I was dating the queen of puns. Rosalie’s sense of humor was one of the most refreshing discoveries. I’m no stranger to her brutal sarcasm that has the capacity to make grown men cry but the witty light hearted version of her banter is so incredibly endearing. The fact that she trusted me enough to be silly around me filled me with joy.

I reached over to grab my phone to send her a thank you message just as a new alert came through. I clicked the message icon and saw a picture of Rosalie with images of cherry pies photo shopped over her eyes. Superimposed across the top of the picture were the words “I only have pies for you.” “You are absolutely ridiculous, thank you for buying the entire display of bakery items.” “I didn’t purchase the entire store; I left plenty of cakes and a few suspicious looking cookies. Happy birthday, Bella.”

The drive to Forks High School only took 10 minutes and as I pulled into the parking lot I immediately began looking for the familiar red car. Over the last four days, Rosalie had stood against her car waiting for me to arrive and we’d walk into school together. Today, however, she was nowhere in sight. As I opened my car door I was met with the cheerful exuberant face of Alice and the sly grin of Emmett. Alice swept me into a hug and they both wished me happy birthday. 

Before I could even ask, Alice answered my unvoiced question. “She needed to hunt but she will be back shortly, Bella.” 

Emmett continued. “Yeah Bells, turns out the family’s favorite human is preoccupying our dear sister’s time. Jasper spent 20 minutes trying to calm her down when she couldn’t find an apple turnover this morning. We had to bring in our secret weapon. Esme asked her how she’d feel if she knew there was a hungry vampire near you and she visibly tensed. You know how much she worries about you, but we reassured her that we’d all keep an eye out for you. Like you need it though, you’re a badass Bells.”

I followed Alice and Emmett into the building and veered off towards my locker. Angela stood in the hall and I called out to her and we discussed our German assignment. As I opened the door of my locker a slip of paper and a flower caught my eye. I smiled at yet another birthday surprise.

Angela was a ball of girlish delight as she rattled off guesses and questions as to who left me the flower. I feigned ignorance and wondered when Rosalie would return to school.

My good mood carried over across the first half of the school day and into lunch. Rosalie still wasn’t here so I took a seat beside Angela as she continued to ponder out loud guesses as to who could have put the note and flower into my locker.

I smiled. I wasn’t sure what to call this thing I had going on with Rosalie. Should I refer to her as my girlfriend or wait until we officially have that discussion? How did courting rituals work in the 1920s? Maybe I should research that in the library during study hall. 

Suddenly, Mike clambered down into the seat beside me interrupting my mental query. “So Bella, did you like the flower? I was thinking maybe I could take you to dinner at that new Italian place downtown.” Wait what, it was Mike. But I thought….

“You put the flower and note in my locker?” I clarified, directing the question to Mike. “I thought maybe….” my words drifted off as I glanced towards where Rosalie typically sat and then back down at my lap. “Thank you, Mike. It’s a really beautiful flower and I was very surprised.”

Mike didn’t seem to pick up on my internal struggle but Lauren appeared to have caught sight of my glance across the lunchroom. “That’s rich. Did you think Cullen was finally making his move?” She mocked.

Even without the aid of superhuman hearing, the sound of a deep growl resonated across the room sending chills down my spine. The effect was palpable and an uncomfortable silence overtook our table. The eyes of my friends were unblinkingly locked in my direction when I finally realized what had caught their attention.

“Hello everyone” Rosalie’s angelic voice pleasantly exclaimed. She was giving them her well-mannered just for show smile. “I apologize for interrupting your lunch.” Our height difference was laughable as she stood towering behind my still sitting form. I twisted my head to look in her direction and to my utter surprise she bent down and kissed my cheek after whispering, “Happy birthday, Isabella.” My heart hammered in my chest and all I could do was stare at this gorgeous woman who was publicly displaying her affection towards me. 

“Do you all mind if I borrow my girlfriend? I have her birthday present in my car.” Although she addressed the group, her golden eyes never left mine. My ice queen couldn’t care less about the other people at my table, but she was fully invested in my reaction to her use of the word girlfriend. And from the smile on her face, her genuine smile, I knew she must have heard my heart skip a beat. I was reaching towards her outstretched hand; she intertwined our fingers and led me out the door towards her car. 

I highly doubted that whatever gift awaited me would compare to the gift she had just given me.


	8. Mix tape

-Rosalie-

I was under the false impression that I needed to prepare myself for all possible scenarios that could unfold while spending time with Bella. My personality shifted from standoffish to one who was constantly vigilant and uncomfortably tense as I molded to become someone who could keep Bella safe and protected. Alice literally and figuratively gave me a slap in the head and helped me recognize what being mated to another person entails. I will never hurt her physically, I am made to protect and love her. 

“You are so accustomed to keeping others at a distance so their lives and decisions have no bearing on you at all. You’re safe because they don’t make you feel anything. Alas, in comes Bella and you my dear sister were bombarded by the feels.” Alice waggles her eyebrows comically and I chuckle. “I think it’s endearing that you barricaded yourself in your room practicing holding tea cups. And just because this house is mostly soundproof, don’t think it slipped past me that you’ve spent hours watching every romantic comedy from the last 30 years.”

“Shut up, Alice.” 

The past week with Bella had been perfect. I cherished each and every minute that I got to spend with Bella. I knew that I was neglecting my feeding regime but pulling myself away from Bella was becoming unbearably painful. The hours spent in separate houses where I couldn’t see her or smell her or hear her voice were grating at my heart.

In a way that only a mother could, Esme reasoned with me that with my hunger left unchecked I would be putting Bella in an unsafe position. Therefore, I begrudgingly ran into the woods to take down as many wild animals as I could stomach before rushing home and making myself presentable. I could make it to school in time to meet up with Bella at lunch.

I found her immediately. But why did she look so sad, I wondered. “Did you think Cullen was finally making his move?” Lauren was asking her and I was pissed. 

How dare she assume that Edward is the object of Bella’s desire? My immediate reaction was jealous rage. “Mine” I growled and everyone in the cafeteria noticeably shivered. “Think Rose.” Alice’s hurried whisper reached my ears along with Jasper’s calming influence. In the span of 3 seconds it occurred to me that no one at school had any reason to suspect that I was the person Bella was interested in. We have not discussed telling others outside of my family and although we have yet to formally address the situation with Charlie, I’m pretty sure he recognized the way we interacted was not merely friendly. This is what Alice must have meant when she said my inaction would hurt Bella.

I needed to act; I needed to publicly demonstrate my feelings for Bella just as she had done towards me. Once the idea formulated I glanced back towards Alice and she smiled and nodded her head. It was time to put my heart on my sleeve and show the girl of my dreams that I was entirely hers and I wanted everyone to know.

Mustering up my entire debutante training, I strode to Bella’s table with perfect posture and an award winning smile. “Hello everyone” I announced. “I apologize for interrupting your lunch.” Bella’s heartbeat reacted to my voice as she turned her head in my direction. I pressed my lips against her cheek and wished her happy birthday. And just to make sure I got my point across, I continued.

“Do you all mind if I borrow my girlfriend? I have her birthday present in my car.” I stared at Bella as I spoke, her reaction the only one I was interested in. When her heart skipped a beat at the word girlfriend, I knew I had said the right thing. She reached towards my hand and I led her to my car, our fingers intertwined.

 

-Bella-

Did that really just happen or is this all a figment of my imagination? Rosalie just called me her girlfriend in front of everyone. Everyone. I stood there lost in thought before registering the fact that Rose was calling my name several times. “Huh?” 

“Hey birthday girl, welcome back.” She smiled. “Sorry, I just got caught up in my thoughts for a minute.”

“What were you thinking about?” Rosalie asked concern on her face. 

“Oh you know, I was wondering if this was really happening or if it was all a dream. I mean you never really touch me at school and I thought….well I thought that maybe you were embarrassed or just wanted to keep our relationship a secret.” I confessed, chewing on my lower lip.

“Oh no, Bella….not at all. Let me try to explain.” 

Rosalie reached into her car and handed me a bundle of flowers. They were lovely, with many bell shaped violet blooms. “The first gift I’d like to give you is a purple hyacinth,” she spoke tentatively. 

“In Greek mythology, the origin of the hyacinth can be traced back to a young man named Hyakinthos. The sun god, Apollo, and Zephyr the god of the west wind fought with one another for the attention of the man. Legend has it that one day, while Apollo was instructing Hyakinthos in the sport of discus throwing, Zephyr blew the discus in a fit of jealous rage. The discus struck Hyakinthos and he fell to the ground. From his body sprouted a flower that was named the hyacinth,” she continued matter-of-factly. I wrinkled my brow in confusion. “Just bear with me, I promise it will make sense soon.” Rosalie guaranteed. She reached out and took my wrist gently in her hand almost begging me not to leave, as if I ever would.

“Isabella, the purple hyacinth stands for ‘please forgive me.’ My actions as well as my inaction have caused you pain and for that, Bella, I am truly sorry. I should not have waited for my jealously to become all-consuming before telling you how important you are to me.” My heart raced at the sincerity in her voice and the effect of her touch. She must feel my heartbeat racing as if she couldn’t already hear it with her inhuman senses.

“Time passes differently for me. Weeks feels like mere seconds and it was inconsiderate of me not to take your perspective into consideration while I was figuring things out. It never occurred to me how you would perceive the passage of time because it’s a non-issue for me. When Lauren thought you were interested in dating Edward…” Rosalie’s eyes darkened. “Yes dear, I’m pretty sure everyone in the school understands how much you dislike that idea.” I chuckled trying to defuse the seriousness.

“I never meant to scare you. Or them. I just….they didn’t know it was me. They thought it was Edward. And it’s my fault they didn’t know because I should have made that clear because I want everyone to know that my heart is yours.” Rosalie admitted. “I got jealous.” 

“The way others fawn over you and when they have the audacity to lay their hands upon you, I have never in all my 115 years on this Earth felt so jealous. My history is soiled with the ramifications of what happens when someone feels possessive and entitled to another person.” Rosalie spoke through gritted teeth. “I would not do that; I could never do that to you.” 

“Please understand. I want to apologize for how I reacted the day we met. I’m unaccustomed to feeling out of control. I feared that I was losing that control and at risk of turning into a monster, that my immediate impulse to claim you was purely predatory. It took me longer than it should have to realize that the craving and desire I feel towards you is not one of thirst to satiate my hunger, but one of love.”

“You’re my mate, Isabella. It explains the speed and intensity of all of our shared feelings. Feelings I’m not used to experiencing. And to go circle back to my apology, at first I kept my distance because I truly feared that I would unintentionally hurt you. I spent days practicing controlling my strength and practicing restraint of my vampire tendencies.” Rosalie reached out to take hold of my hand once again. “I now owe Esme thousands of dollars but it was so worth it.” I quirked my head in silent question and Rose giggled. “I’m sure Alice will be delighted to tell you all about it. Rosalie vs. Tea Cups: The Quest to Hold Bella’s Hand.” Rosalie waved her hand in the air as if she was reading the title on a billboard and I burst out laughing. 

 

-Rosalie-

“So exactly how much money do you have?” Bella inquired. 

Bella was unpredictable and many times she’d react in the exact opposite way that I had imagined. The fact that she didn’t bat an eye at the realization that she had befriended a family of vampires should have clued me into this fact. I was both unnerved and intrigued by how she seemed to constantly surprise me. But this time I was genuinely confused.

“Pardon me?” Out of all the possible things she could have said, that was not a response I expected. “I’m just saying if you destroyed thousands of dollars of china in order to hold my hand, I wonder what type of bill you are going to incur as you practice for our other physical encounters.” She winked. My jaw dropped.

“Isabella Swan!” My fair complexion would have no doubt become crimson if I were able to blush. There she goes again, tilting my world off kilter. 

“What?” she replied innocently. “I believe I made the status of my physical attraction to you perfectly clear, baby. What with my teenage hormones and what not…” 

Bella looked absolutely delectable in that moment. I was struck by the many facets of Bella’s personality. I closed the gap between us in a flash latching my mouth against her pulse point and sucked. My senses were overloaded with the taste and feel of Bella’s skin on my tongue, the sound of her heartbeat and whimpering moans, when I began to smell her arousal I growled. 

“Fuck.” Bella gasped. “Rose.” It was in that moment that I made it a mission in life to coax as many gasped versions of my name out of her mouth. 

“Come to the meadow with me. I, I want to exist in a place that’s just us and no one else.” I almost begged.

“I’d go anywhere with you.” Bella walked around to the passenger side of my care and settled herself in. I inserted the key when Bella interrupted.

“You mentioned something about a second present…” Damn she was adorable. 

“I have learned that it is common theme among teenagers in love to create playlists of songs to represent their thoughts and feelings.” I reached to the next gift and handed Bella a wrapped case. She stood staring at me with a look of adoration in her eyes. “You love me?” 

She looked so hopeful in that moment. “Of course I do. With everything I am.” 

“You know, you haven’t actually said the words…” she drifted off her lips still partially grazing mine. I pulled back and searched her eyes hoping mine reflected the intensity and truthfulness of my words. “I love you, Isabella.” 

“And I love you.” And I would be perfectly content listening to those words on loop for eternity. 

Bella unwrapped the case and put the disk inside my CD player. She proceeded to listen to the first few lines of each song before skipping to the next song. I felt her gaze on me as she asked, “Umm Rosalie, are all these songs by Vampire Weekend?” 

“Hmmm not all of them.” I replied bemusedly. “There is one by Christina Perri called Human and another titled Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis.” 

As we drove Bella rested her hand on my thigh as she whispered details of her physical fantasies into my ear. I held the steering wheel in a vice grip, permanently bending the frame.

I’m sure I can find a replacement steering wheel online.

I wonder if Alice can foresee how many things I'll end up breaking during the course of our lifetime. A small fortune by the sound of Bella's more adventurous fantasies.

Good thing I've got money to spare.


End file.
